


Slippery Stages and Soapsuds

by hotelcortez



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Injuries, Stage accident, adorable sleepy jisung, concussion, cute giggly jilix, jilix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-06-02 17:49:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19446529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hotelcortez/pseuds/hotelcortez
Summary: Jisung likes to fall asleep on Felix's shoulder.It's a simple fact of life, a lot simpler than the racing heart and desperate longing Felix has to hide every time it happens.But when an onstage accident between Felix and Jisung forces all sorts of feelings into the open, he realises that the solution may be a lot simpler than he ever realised.





	Slippery Stages and Soapsuds

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!!
> 
> I'm here with a new story!! This is heavily inspired by one of the scenes from my Woolix story, a scene I had so much fun writing that I had to turn it into a whole new fic. My Jilix heart just loved writing this so much
> 
> TW: concussion, stage accident, head injuries, hospital scene. Stay safe and stay healthy <3
> 
> Enjoy!! <3

The first time Felix noticed it happening was backstage after their first win.

The entire group was emotional; there were tears, smiles, laughs and still genuine looks of disbelief that didn’t look like they’d be going away anytime soon.

Felix just felt numb. He thought maybe he should be crying, or laughing, or whatever else the group seemed to be doing, but his heart was pounding with shock and his skin was coated with a very faint layer of denial. He still couldn’t quite believe it, couldn’t quite allow himself to think that the announcers hadn’t made some kind of mistake, couldn’t quite comprehend that they had actually gotten their first win. 

That didn’t mean Felix wasn’t basking in the moment though. He was hugging all his members, revelling in his turn to hold the trophy, enjoying the joyful smiles all around him. One smile in particular he couldn’t quite take his eyes off was Jisung’s.

Jisung had reacted a completely different way to Felix; he had cried, followed by more rounds of crying, and then cried again. It was a touching sight, seeing Jisung so amazingly overwhelmed by all they had achieved, and Felix couldn’t help but feel honoured that he was one of the people who got to hold him through it. 

As expected, Jisung had become very clingy and so no one in the group was remotely holding back on the amount of affection they were doling out. Chan had Jeongin in his arms, Seungmin was practically a limpet around Changbin, and Hyunjin, Minho and Woojin were barely distinguishable from each other in their pile on the floor. Felix smiled as he watched them, still slowly dragging his fingers through the hair tickling against his neck.

Jisung had his head directly planted on Felix’s shoulder, with both arms wrapped around Felix’s waist and small sniffles being released into his shirt. Felix just happily kept Jisung tucked under his arm, accepting all the stains on his shirt and the tears dripping down his neck as he helped Jisung come down from the emotional roller coaster. 

“How you feeling, Sungie?” Felix asked gently, tilting his head so he could look down at Jisung, reaching up to tenderly brush some hair away from the boy’s eyes. 

“I’m okay,” Jisung sniffled, Felix feeling something shift in his chest at how adorable the action was, “I just can’t quite believe it.”

“Me neither,” Felix said, moving his fingers down to carefully wipe the tears off Jisung’s cheeks, feeling sudden sparks of electricity rushing up his fingertips, “It just feels so… surreal.”

Felix’s eyes glazed over at that, his hands stilling against Jisung’s face. Jisung frowned slightly as he looked up, peering through his bangs at the faraway expression on his friend’s face. 

“Are you alright, Lix?” Jisung asked quietly, softening when Felix turned to face him again, eyes teeming beautifully with emotion.

“I’m alright,” Felix smiled softly, “Just still processing it, I guess.”

“Well, stay still as you process,” Jisung was suddenly whining, making a show of burying his face back in Felix’s shoulder, “You’re warm.”

Felix giggled at the words, having to bite his lip to stop himself when Jisung grumbled about how Felix’s laughter was causing his shoulder to shake annoyingly.

He hadn’t really thought about it before, but it was then that Felix realised it really was warm. It was warm having Jisung cuddled around him, forever the little spoon clinging onto Felix whilst Felix just held him and kept him safe, playing with Jisung’s hair or drawing intricate patterns onto his skin.

It wasn’t a strange warmth either, it was completely familiar. Why was Felix only now just realising how much Jisung had been clinging to him as of late? Why was this such a familiar position for him?

It wasn’t that Felix was complaining; he’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy the tenderness and comfort of having his friend resting on his shoulder. It just surprised Felix how frequent of an occurrence it had become, how normal it was to now have brown hair tickling against his neck because Jisung draping himself over him had now basically become a habit.

The thought sent Felix’s mind into a hurricane he couldn’t explain. Suddenly, his palms were sweating and his heart was pounding and Felix had the urge to cling tight to Jisung and never let him go, to let him rest contently on his shoulder forever. 

Felix was still in the middle of his panic when Chan’s face appeared in front of him, cheeks still stained with tears and his hair messy but the leader still somehow looking like his every dream had come true. He reached out to squeeze Felix’s free shoulder, a brief spark of concern flitting through his eyes at the expression on Felix’s face, his voice tender and motherly as he opened his mouth to speak.

“You holding up alright, Lix?” Chan asked in English, the two meeting eyes as Felix smiled softly.

“I think I’m in shock,” Felix said, only half-joking, drawing a large grin from Chan who probably didn’t realise that Felix was not only in shock about the win, but also about the squirrel draped over his shoulder.

“I think we all are, mate,” Chan smiled as he spoke, his eyes drifting over to Jisung as he glistened with mischief, “I think Sungie’s tired himself out, look.”

Felix followed where Chan was pointing to find Jisung still on his shoulder, eyes shut and entire body relaxed as he breathed evenly into Felix’s neck, slight snores and incoherent mumbles leaving his mouth. An explosion of warmth bloomed in Felix’s chest, his entire body melting as Jisung nuzzled his face into his shoulder, face calm with sleep in a way Felix couldn’t help but be in awe of.

“Well, we wouldn’t want to wake him up then,” Felix whispered, carefully tucking some hair behind Jisung’s ear before turning back to Chan.

“Yeah…” Chan was looking at Felix with an odd look sparking in his eyes, an almost knowing expression on his face, “Guess not.”

With that, he turned away and walked back towards the manager, probably discussing what the group was supposed to be doing next and what time they were supposed to head back. Felix just continued to rub Jisung’s thigh, content to let Jisung sleep until they had to move.

The room buzzed with activity around them, but Jisung barely stirred and Felix was basically asleep himself when Chan finally shouted at them all to move as the cars were outside. It hurt to have to do it, but Felix carefully shook Jisung’s thigh, whispering into his ear.

“Sungie!” he whispered, “Jisung, you need to wake up.”

For a second, it looked like Jisung was about to comply. He groggily blinked his eyes a couple of times and brought up a hand to rub at his face, a long whine leaving his lips. But then he just plonked his head right back down on Felix’s shoulder and his body slumped over once more.

“Okay then, sleeping beauty,” Felix said more to himself than anyone else, “Let’s do this.”

Felix steeled himself as he carefully took one of Jisung’s arms and looped it over his own shoulder, adjusting his other arm to wrap around Jisung’s waist. He made sure they both had their phones in their pockets and any other possessions to hand before counting down from 3 in his head and standing them both up. 

The change in position seemed to be a lot to process for Jisung who started mumbling incoherently, Felix getting his hopes up that the boy might actually wake up before he merely collapsed against Felix’s side. 

“You are so going to owe me for this,” Felix tried not to fall down at the sudden weight change, feigning annoyance at the situation but still keeping his voice quiet so Jisung didn’t actually wake up, “Let’s go.”

The other members all shuffled out the way as Felix half-carried, half-dragged Jisung across the room. The boy seemed aware enough to be able to put one foot in front of another which Felix was severely thankful for as his back began to ache and shoulders began to flame, his own tired body not liking the additional tired body slumped all over it. 

It took ten minutes to get to the car and another five for Felix to be able to drag Jisung through the door, the boy seeming determined to keep both his feet planted on the ground and his face stuck to Felix’s neck. It may have been annoying and inconvenient, but Felix couldn’t deny that it felt nice to be trusted so much, to be so loving that Jisung clawed after him even in sleep. 

The other members climbed in behind them as Felix made quick work of buckling up both his and Jisung’s seatbelts, his shoulder being free of Jisung for a whole three seconds before Jisung was back on top of him, warm breaths hitting Felix’s skin. 

Felix sighed to himself as the car started, body aching and head spinning as he finally allowed himself to relax, hoping his heart would stop racing at the feeling of his friend stuck to his side. He was just starting to come down from it when Jisung shuffled a little to the right of him, Felix looking down to see the squirrel-like eyes fluttering a few times before staring half-drooped up at Felix.

“Thanks, Lixie,” Jisung mumbled, Felix feeling his heart swell as the boy’s cheek fell back on his shoulder, “For sharing your warmth.”

And it was that moment that Felix decided he would carry Jisung a hundred times if it meant he got to see that sleepy pout again. 

. . .

Jisung wanted ice cream.

It wasn’t up for debate. It wasn’t open to interpretation. It wasn’t a question of settling for cake.

Jisung. Wanted. Ice cream. 

Which was maybe what had drawn him to the kitchen at 2am, searching frantically through the freezer only to be seriously disappointed by the fact that someone (probably Changbin) had already finished the tub of cookies and cream that Jisung explicitly remembered Chan coming home with yesterday. 

It was probably supposed to be Chan’s ice cream, but Jisung would have easily been able to place the blame on someone else (most likely Jeongin because that kid was seriously notorious for his sweet tooth) but now he couldn’t even do that because he genuinely wasn’t the one who had eaten it. 

“Damn,” Jisung muttered to himself, staring dejectedly at the ice-cream-free freezer as he briefly wondered how the hell he was going to satisfy his cravings now. 

“Hello?” the distant voice snapped Jisung out of his thoughts and he quickly shut the freezer door, not knowing who else it was making a journey across the dorm in the middle of the night, “Jisung?”

“Oh,” Jisung smiled, “Hey Lix.”

Felix walked through the open door with a frown. He was wearing his blue polar-bear pyjama bottoms with an oversized purple hoodie that Jisung sworn had definitely been his at some point. His blonde hair was messy and sticking up all over the place and his eyes were tired, but his face showed no prior signs of sleep, freckles beautifully out on full-display.

“Jisung?” Felix rubbed his eyes a little, “What’s wrong? Why are you awake?”

“Wanted ice cream,” Jisung shrugged like it was completely normal to be searching for ice cream in the middle of the night, his own bright yellow shirt shifting on his shoulders, hoisting up above his white sweatpants, “You?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Felix answered bluntly, Jisung’s face pouting in understanding, knowing there wasn’t single member of the group who didn’t have some sort of sleeping troubles. They were both standing in the kitchen at 2am after all. 

“Sorry to hear that,” Jisung said, but Felix just waved him off, moving towards the kitchen door and beckoning Jisung along with him.

“Let’s go,” he said, in English, Jisung furrowing his brows in confusion before following.

“Go where?” Jisung asked, getting even more confused when Felix walked towards the front door and started pulling shoes on, double-checking his hoodie pocket for something and then turning to smile at Jisung.

“24-hour convenience store,” Felix answered, smirking slightly as Jisung’s expression only got more confused, “We’re going to get you ice cream.”

Jisung’s eyes widened comically at that, Felix having to stop himself from laughing out loud, “You’re serious? We’re going for ice cream? At 2am?”

“Well, I don’t see why not,” Felix shrugged, “I can’t sleep and you want ice cream, it’s not like we have anything better to do.”

“Well…” Jisung took a couple of seconds to contemplate, even though it was most definitely not difficult to make up his mind, “Alright, let’s go!”

With that, Jisung slipped on a pair of trainers that probably weren’t even his before they both stepped out into the night air, practically skipping down the path. 

Felix was still in his pyjamas and Jisung hadn’t even bothered to put on a jacket, but neither of them minded as they walked down the empty streets of Seoul, hands clasped between them and swinging back and forth happily as they walked in comfortable silence.

The walk to the shop was short, and the time it took to buy a tub of Jisung’s favourite fudge flavour was even shorter, Felix using his card to pay and Jisung taking a couple of plastic spoons off the counter. They bid goodbye to the slightly-amused looking cashier and strode once more into the night air, both heading towards the park without even having to use words. 

“Thanks for this, Lix,” Jisung said as they settled down together on a bench, snuggling up to each other’s sides to keep warm, the ice cream held between them as they both dug in.

“Of course, Sungie,” Felix smiled softly, heaping a generous serving of ice cream onto his spoon and managing to grab some of the biggest fudge pieces in the whole tub. Jisung’s eyes widened at the sight, twinkling like an excited child as Felix giggled to himself. He barely even thought about it as he pushed the spoon in front of Jisung’s mouth, a hand positioned under it to catch any drips.

“Say Ah!” Felix said dramatically, Jisung’s entire face lighting up in childlike glee as he cast a quick glance up at Felix for permission and then leaned forward to wrap his lips around the spoon, a satisfied groan leaving his lips as the ice cream melted on his tongue.

Felix couldn’t help but bursting out laughing, playfully yanking his spoon out of Jisung’s mouth as he giggled. 

“You’re such a child,” he managed to say, giggles accompanying his every word as Jisung’s face broke out into a large grin.

“A child who’s a day older than you!” Jisung exclaimed, using his spoon to jab Felix in the side as the younger squawked and smacked him on the arm, telling him he was a brat.

The two carried on like that for a while, feeding each other ice cream and bickering as the stars beamed down on them, Jisung appearing to get more and more tired as the darkness began to lighten and the black started to fade out to a warm orange.

It was only a matter of time before Jisung’s head was on Felix’s shoulder again, Felix feeling a spark of warmth burning within him despite the chill of the ice cream. He turned his head to look down at Jisung, heart racing at how Jisung glowed in the starlight, a faint shine lighting his skin and hair ruffled with the gentle night wind, stars reflecting gorgeously in his half-drooped eyes.

He looked so ethereal in that moment that Felix couldn’t help but stare, mind going a million miles an hour as Felix had the sudden urge to run his hands through the curls of Jisung’s hair, to stroke his fingers over the bones of his squishy cheeks, to kiss the pink of Jisung’s lips. It took everything Felix had not to turn around and nuzzle his nose into the boy’s head, not wanting to make him uncomfortable, not wanting to ruin this beautiful friendship, not wanting to acknowledge the things he was currently feeling.

Jisung’s touch was sending lightning scorching through Felix’s skin and Felix was terrified. He wasn’t supposed to be feeling this. He wasn’t supposed to be enjoying Jisung’s presence so much. He wasn’t supposed to be looking so far into Jisung’s sleepy actions. 

So, it was with a heavy heart that Felix sighed to himself, deciding to stop things before they got too far. 

“Hey, sleeping beauty,” Felix nudged Jisung gently in the shoulder, heart sinking when Jisung’s eyes closed all the way and his little mumbles faded into light snores, “Sleeping beauty, we have to go now.”

Jisung merely shook his head a little against Felix’s shoulder, Felix decidedly ignoring the way his skin lit up at the contact as he resigned himself to another night of carrying Jisung home.

Felix tried to pretend to himself that he was bothered, but he really wasn’t.

Carrying Jisung home was a blessing, the boy looking cute and adorable as he snored into Felix’s shoulder, cheeks puffy and hair soft as Felix carefully manoeuvred him home, unable to take his eyes off the way the starlight shone onto Jisung’s skin. 

Unlocking the door at the same time as keeping Jisung on his feet was a struggle, but Felix managed it because it was for Jisung and he’d do anything for Jisung. He was able to pull the boy all through the dorm without waking anyone and then slipped the boy’s shoes off his feet and laid him in his bed, placing a blanket over him as Jisung talked to himself in his sleep in a way that definitely did not make Felix’s heart melt.

It felt cold, crawling into his own bed by himself, but Felix did it because he didn’t have another choice, because he wouldn’t be able to explain waking up in Jisung’s bed without freaking someone out.

So, he curled up alone, mind storming with thoughts and questions and denial that kept him awake until the first alarm of the morning sounded shrilly through the dorm. 

. . .

Felix didn’t sleep a lot after that. Every time the dorm lights would turn off his mind would storm and his hands would shake and he’d panic about the feelings that were becoming increasingly hard to push down. Jisung continued to use Felix’s shoulder as a pillow, Felix hating how it hurt in the best way possible, hating how it burned his skin in a way he couldn’t help but crave. 

Felix was completely and utterly whipped, and he was terrified. 

The other members had definitely noticed both the increased contact between the September twins and Felix’s worsening eyebags, but they still lacked the knowledge required to put the two pieces together. Jisung probably thought he was actually helping Felix by resting against him, unaware of how the feeling would send Felix’s heart into a panic that would have him awake for days.

But, still, Felix wouldn’t change it. He loved those moments Jisung made him feel wanted, loved those moments Jisung’s warmth would tingle against his skin, loved those moments Jisung would send Felix’s mind into a war that ironically made him feel like everything was at peace. The feeling was confusing in just the right way, Felix not being able to help but chase after it. 

However, there was no warmth in Felix’s heart right now.

The boys were all gathered backstage of their next performance, faces grim and mouths silent as they stared out over the stage. The performance of the day was going to take place outside and Felix had been kept up all night by rain, rain that now soaked every inch of the stage. There were workers out in raincoats trying to sweep some of the water away, but it was barely making a difference, the stage remaining slippery and treacherous for all that stepped out onto it. The workers could barely walk without slipping, and the group were somehow expected to dance. 

Felix could already picture the accidents, the falls, the injuries, and he shivered as he imagined one of his members smacking hard onto the unforgiving ground. It wasn’t right they had to perform in such conditions, but Felix had already heard Chan trying to talk to the manager and there was no way they were getting out of it. They just had to hope that none of them would get hurt.

“Alright gang,” Felix turned to the sound of Minho’s voice, the group’s eldest dancer looking less than pleased with the situation as he tried to stare comfortingly at all of them, unable to conceal the subtle anger flickering in his eyes, “I don’t care what moves you miss out on, or what choreography you mess up, I just want you all to remain uninjured. Obviously, try to perform as well as you can, but don’t do anything you aren’t comfortable with and absolutely do not take any unnecessary risks.”

His every word was laced with absolute conviction as the rest of the group nodded, all sharing glances among one another to silently promise to keep each other safe, to watch each other and help each other should something go wrong. 

“Minho’s right,” Chan spoke up, eyes determined as he made sure to look at every single one of them, “The priority today is staying safe, don’t do anything to jeopardise that. I promise you that all of us and stays will understand. We’d rather that than see anyone get hurt.”

Murmurs of agreement rang out among them as they listened, mentally trying to prepare themselves for the struggle that was about to happen. Felix was so wrapped up in it he almost jumped at the feeling of a warm hand sliding tentatively into his own, quickly turning around to catch the large, worried eyes of Jisung.

“Stay safe, Lixie,” Jisung whispered softly, accompanying his words with a squeeze of Felix’s hand.

“You too, Sungie,” Felix whispered back, almost getting lost in the beautiful eyes staring at him, desperately wishing he could rid them of all their fear and concern, “I’ll catch you if you fall.”

Jisung couldn’t help but smile softly at that, his cheeks pulling up in a way that made Felix want to melt into a puddle on the floor. He actually had to resist gasping when Jisung brought their entwined hands upwards and tenderly ghosted his lips over the back of Felix’s hand, Felix’s entire body setting alight at the contact, a mixture of adrenalin, fire and ecstasy rushing through his veins. 

“I’ll catch you too,” Jisung said, and Felix suddenly couldn’t take his eyes off him, chest stuttering and body tingling with a feeling he was so unfamiliar with, a feeling he craved with every fibre of his being, because this was Jisung, and Felix would do anything for Jisung.

Unfortunately, the moment was broken by Chan shouting a sudden “Good luck!” Felix whipped his head round to see the managers pushing them towards the stage, Jisung’s hand squeezing his one last time before he let go and they were all left alone to step out into the danger. 

Panic flooded Felix’s mind as he realised he could barely put one foot in front of the other. The soles of his shoes clung unsteadily to the floor, almost going out from under him at every step. It was like there was a rink of ice spanning over the whole stage, Felix feeling his heart beating in his throat as he carefully manoeuvred himself to his starting position. The rest of the group were all crouched around him, all of them ready to jump into their first move in a way that hopefully wouldn’t have them falling over.

It was hilariously difficult to remain upright the whole time, their feet sliding around terrifyingly under them as they tried to work through the dance. The moves weren’t nearly as sharp as they normally were, but somehow the group managed to make it safely to the first chorus, all of them holding their breaths as they leapt into the most intense part of the choreography so far.

That was where it started to go wrong.

Hyunjin was the first to go down, sliding into his new position and skidding too fast to stay on his feet as he tumbled to the floor. He landed on his side, luckily managing to catch himself before anything vital hit the floor. Felix was next to him like a shot, wasting no time as he looped both hands under Hyunjin’s shoulders and pulled him to his feet to the beat of the music, steadying the both of them as Hyunjin got his bearings. They shared a split-second of eye contact, Hyunjin nodding slightly to convey he was okay before they both turned and slid to their new positions.

The whole thing felt like a lifetime, Hyunjin feeling his heart drop and Felix’s blood running cold as Hyunjin hit the stage floor, a million scenarios going through their heads as they tangled limbs. But in the end it was probably only about three seconds of the whole song, both boys knowing they still had to perform and so rushing away from each other like nothing had happened. It was utterly chilling, knowing that three seconds was all it would have taken to break Hyunjin, but they had to continue like it hadn’t happened, like they weren’t endangering themselves for a show.

Next up was Woojin, the boy stepping to the front and pitching forward, managing to catch himself on his hands and push himself up like it was nothing. No one had to help him, he was up on his feet too fast for any of them to get there, but they had all seen the way he landed, they all felt the sharp pain that would have sizzled down his wrist. 

Felix swallowed heavily as they danced into the second half of the song, watching as Chan and Seungmin briefly slipped smack into one another, spending a couple of seconds playing a precarious game of dominos before Changbin’s arm shot out and steadied them. Identical looks of relief fell over all their faces, all of them gifting each other a brief pat on the shoulder before they carried on like it was normal, like they hadn’t almost caused each other’s downfall. 

Unfortunately, none of the group realised the danger was yet to come.

It was when there was barely thirty seconds left that Felix saw it, saw a sight that sent his heart racing, his head spinning and his mind into a whirlpool. Jisung was approaching the front of the stage, unsteady steps taking him right to the front as he rapped into the microphone, simultaneously trying to make eye contact with the audience and look at where he was placing his feet, not wanting to step in an extra-slippery patch.

Felix felt the exact moment that everything started going in slow motion.

Jisung’s foot landed perfectly in the wrong position and the sole of his shoe slid forcefully behind him, sending him flying forward as he descended towards the floor. 

Except the floor was no longer underneath Jisung… he was too close to the edge of the stage. 

Jisung was going to go flying off. 

Jisung was going to fall over the edge. 

Jisung was going to hit the ground that was too far away. 

Felix didn’t know when the sound drowned out around him, when the screams and music and crackles from his earpiece all faded into muffles, but he did know when his feet started propelling him forward. His body moved of its own accord, sprinting to the front of the stage, his feet crazily sliding around under him, his arms reaching forward and desperately trying to steady him as his vision focused on nothing but Jisung, nothing but the boy he loved who was about to go falling off the stage, nothing but the terrible accident that was about to happen.

Felix watched as Jisung tipped forward inch-by-inch, an absolutely terrified look appearing gradually over the boy’s face as Felix got closer and closer, his feet going too slow to get him to the front of the stage. He pushed and pushed and pushed forward, his lungs shaking and his heart pounding as Jisung got nearer and nearer and nearer to taking a fall he wouldn’t be able to get up from. 

Felix needed to get there.

He had to reach Jisung in time.

Fire started roaring in Felix’s ears, water streaming under his feet as he took one last step and slid the rest of the way forward towards Jisung, entirely body blazing with adrenalin. He crashed into Jisung from behind, throwing one arm haphazardly around his waist and then twisting with all his might, swinging both of them around so hard they got whiplash. 

They ended up facing the back of the stage, the world wavering dangerously as Felix pulled them around, feeling a split second of pure, unfiltered relief as he realised Jisung was okay. Jisung wasn’t going to fall off the stage. Jisung was safe. 

It was then that Felix realised they may no longer be falling towards the edge of the stage, but they were definitely still falling. 

Gravity suffocated them, displeased at how forcefully Felix had yanked them both around on a floor that they were most definitely not supposed to be spinning on. Jisung went stumbling a few feet to the right, landing perfectly in the arms of Woojin who had now managed to race over, looking relieved as he managed to catch Jisung, but also absolutely terrified when he realised there was no one close enough to catch Felix. 

Felix had the very same horrifying realisation as the floor slowly rushed up to meet him, his forehead slamming sickeningly against the hard stage floor. 

Stars exploded behind his eyes, burning pain scorching through his head as the whole world went white, Felix’s entire skull detonating with agony. 

He immediately felt the bile rushing up his throat, the head injury being too much for his body to handle. He hacked brutally onto the stage floor a couple of times, his head pounding with each ruthless cough as the lights and effects all swarmed around him, the nausea twisting and writhing cruelly inside him. 

He wanted nothing more than to just curl up and scream into his hands, the queasiness and agony and embarrassment all spiralling out of his control too fast for his injured brain to process, the entire world blurring around him. But, even through all of this, Felix was aware enough to know he was still on stage, to know he had a job to do, to know what had just felt like a hundred years, had probably only been ten seconds. 

So, Felix put two shaky hands underneath him and haphazardly attempted to pull himself up, almost gagging as his head objected harshly to the movement.

For a second, Felix worried he was going to end up sprawled on the floor again, his arms seemingly unwilling to hold him up. But then there was a pair of hands hooking around his chest and heaving him upwards, the pain in his skull spiking as he desperately tried to plant both feet on the floor. He was able to pull his head up enough to meet the concerned eyes of Changbin, the rapper looking just about ready to drag Felix off the stage. But Felix merely clumsily squeezed his shoulder in thanks before stumbling over to his next position, scrambled brain frantically trying to piece together the dance routine in his head. 

Thankfully, there was only about fifteen seconds left in the song because Felix didn’t think he could go on any longer. His limbs were floppy and his tongue was fuzzy and his head pounded with every note in the song, the bright lights and harsh cheering all swirling distortedly through his brain as the agony throbbed through every cell above his neck. 

He remained stuck in his ending position even after the song had ended, his body no longer having the capacity to move. Everything started to become blurry, too blurry, and the ground started to sway underneath him, sounds fluctuating dangerously in and out of his ears.

He briefly registered arms wrapping around him and pulling him away, carefully but firmly leading him to a place that was darker, much darker, but full of a lot more people. They were running around him, shouting and scrambling as he felt himself being lowered to the floor, all of them swarming around him and starting to prod him, their touches feeling strange and distant as his eyes began to blink. 

Acid burned up Felix’s throat, the world tilting harshly on its axis as he registered being manoeuvred so he could throw up, the action sending shockwaves of pain reverberating through his skull in a way that had him crying and gasping. 

A warm hand rubbed his back the whole time, pulling him up to lie against an even warmer chest. Felix briefly registered the feeling and relaxed slightly against the momentary relief tingling in his veins, feeling so different, so special, compared to the distress and tremors lining his whole body. 

Even through all the pain, through all the confusion, through the whole world blurring around him, Felix would recognise that warm touch. 

He wanted to giggle as he realised he was now the one lying on Jisung’s shoulder, was now the sleepy one instead of Jisung. But the action sounded like too much effort and too much pain, so Felix settled for burying his nose in Jisung’s neck instead, ignoring the panicked screams and shouts frantically demanding that he stay awake as, for the first time ever, Felix was the one to fall asleep on Jisung’s shoulder. 

. . .

The whole world was darkness. 

Felix felt suffocated by it, the empty blackness pulsing uncomfortably behind his eyes as he struggled to move, his limbs feeling bolted down to the surface underneath him. He was lying on something soft, his back plastered against sheets and a light blanket draped loosely over his front. 

The air around him was heavy with what felt like drugs and chemicals, a faint buzz of chaos flowing around him as strange beeping and rustling sounds reached his ears. It felt oddly familiar, the sensations feeling like something he should be able to identify but somehow not quite common enough for him to put his fingers on.

It didn’t really help that he couldn’t open his eyes, or move his body, or wake up properly enough for his brain to work. The only constants in his state of unconsciousness were the persistent confusion and smothering darkness, the only things Felix’s throbbing head was able to figure out enough to be able to recognise.

Eventually, his ears were able to pick up on the sounds of people. There were varying amounts of them in the room, people coming and going in a constant motion that made him dizzy. Sometimes there was a whole crowd, conversations taking place between his members and managers and a load of other voices using advanced Korean medical talk that he knew he wouldn’t understand even if he was coherent.

But, out of all the people that he struggled to pick apart and identify, there was one that was always there, one that Felix never struggled to work out because he’d recognise that voice and that touch anywhere. 

Jisung remained locked on his side the whole time, holding Felix’s hand when a nurse required he step away, draping himself over Felix’s side when the conversation went quiet, placing his head back on Felix’s shoulder where it belonged when the room felt empty again. 

Felix didn’t know when he became coherent enough to recognise all this, but he did know that he was enjoying every second of it. Jisung had to be sprawled majorly awkwardly between the side of the bed and the chair he was sat on to be able to rest against Felix the way he was, but Felix wasn’t complaining, thankful for the warmth that was the only light in his world of dark. 

The two rested silently together, Felix’s strength gradually returning to him as the throbbing in his head was slowly replaced by the softness of Jisung’s hair against his neck. The squirrel-like boy was too fidgety to be asleep, his fingers playing absent-mindedly with the sheets on Felix’s bed and his breaths seeming to pick up and quicken and random moments.

Felix was about to slip back into sleep when Jisung opened his mouth, his voice ringing quietly throughout the empty room for no one to hear, the boy convinced Felix was buried too deep in unconsciousness to be listening. 

“Why did you do that, Lix?” Jisung’s voice was hesitant, barely disturbing the silence in the room as Felix felt his heart jump, desperately trying to muster up the strength to answer, “Why did you try and save me like that? Now you’re in a hospital bed with a severe concussion and I’m not even scratched.”

Felix wanted to tell Jisung that it wasn’t his fault, to tell Jisung that he would always run to save him, to tell Jisung he’d take a thousand concussions if it meant he was never scratched. But Felix’s was head still pounding and his limbs still lay unmoving in the bed, eyes far too heavy to open. 

“It hurts me to see you like this,” Jisung’s voice was strained now, laced with heartache and pain that Felix almost startled at, lightning flashing through his mind as his veins flared with hope, “It hurts me Felix, to know that you’re in pain.”

This couldn’t be happening. Felix couldn’t be hearing this.

Felix tried not to get his hopes up, tried not to think about what Jisung could be hinting at, but it became increasingly impossible to ignore as Jisung carried on speaking. 

“It really shouldn’t affect me this much,” Jisung was saying, voice cracking in a way that broke Felix’s heart, “It shouldn’t affect me this much to know you’re lying in a hospital bed because the nurse said you were going to be just fine and so I know there’s no need to worry. But Felix I think I care about you too much to ever forget this.”

The muscles in Felix’s chest tightened painfully, his eyes desperately trying to open as he wished and wished and wished that he could gather up the strength to squeeze Jisung’s hand. His body was screaming, nerves writhing and twisting as he tried to move, tried to fight against his injured brain which was unable to send out the messages his limbs were trying to receive. 

He needed to open his eyes.

He needed to look at Jisung.

He needed to cup his cheeks and stroke his hair and kiss his lips because this was Jisung, and Felix would do anything for Jisung. 

But his body remained still, his head remained unable to function, and his eyes remained closed, Felix feeling devastation swarming through him as Jisung started to cry next to his sleeping form.

“You’re just always so comforting, Lix,” Jisung hiccupped through his tears, taking his hands away from Felix to wipe his face, “You’re always so warm and loving and you give off this light that makes me feel so peaceful, so at home, so calm that it quite literally puts me to sleep sometimes.”

If Felix was awake he would have gasped, suddenly aware of why Jisung was always resting on him, why Jisung was always floating towards him whenever he was tired. It all made so much sense now. It made so much sense.

Every piece was falling into place, and yet Felix was trapped in unconsciousness, too weak to actually enjoy it. 

“I thought it’d annoy you,” Jisung was still speaking, hitches and sharp breaths lining his every syllable, voice muffled by his hands, “I thought you’d hate having me clinging to you all the time, but you just welcomed me, Lix. You were always there, always so gentle and so nice and the feelings only got stronger. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to say this to your face Felix, at least not when you’re awake, but I think I like you. I think I want to be more than your friend.”

Felix’s brain was singing, his every thought glowing with happiness and longing that shone in his mind as every inch of his skin screeched, desperately trying to move, trying to convey to Jisung that Felix felt the same, trying to grant them both the happiness they were chasing after.

But Jisung was slowly pulling himself off the bed, slowly wiping the remains of tears off his face, slowly turning away and taking all of Felix’s hopes with him.

“I’m sorry, Lix,” Jisung said, voice so quiet Felix almost missed it, his arms wanting nothing more than to wrap themselves around the hurt boy, “I’ll fix this. Ill find a way to make the feelings go away. I won’t let you get hurt anymore, I promise.”

And with that, Jisung hurried away, Felix wanting nothing more than to scream “Please don’t leave me!” wanting nothing more than to shout “Come back! Come back I love you too!” But the door opened and then closed and the footsteps rushed out of hearing, Felix feeling his heart physically shatter as he was left alone in the hospital room.

Left alone in the hospital room without hope and without the boy he loved. 

. . .

It was a happy occasion when, a whole day later, Felix opened his eyes. 

Hyunjin, Jeongin and Minho were all in the room, smiling widely at Felix and hugging him carefully as the world slowly formed around him, head still throbbing but not nearly as much as it had been before. 

They messaged the Stray Kids groupchat whilst the doctor checked him over, reading out Felix all the happy messages the other members responded with when they found out Felix was awake. There was one message that was missing, one from a certain lovesick boy Felix was desperate to find, but Felix didn’t let it get to him as he listened, not wanting to diminish the smiles of the others in the room. 

It was a few hours before Felix was discharged, Minho paying deadly attention to the instructions the doctor was giving on how to take care of Felix’s concussion until he had recovered. Hyunjin and Jeongin seemed to be listening intently too and Felix swallowed as he realised he was probably about to be wrapped in cotton wool for the next month to protect him from anything that could possibly hurt him. Felix wanted to rely on Chan and Woojin to save him from such treatment, but he realised they’d probably only add a layer of bubble wrap to his protection once they heard what the others were planning. 

So, Felix accepted it when Jeongin insisted on him wearing his jacket when they went outside, and he accepted it when Hyunjin insisted on him also wearing Hyunjin’s jacket, and he accepted it when Minho insisted on carrying all of his bags, and he accepted it when all three of them insisted on helping him walk as he left the hospital. Felix would have laughed if he didn’t secretly like the treatment, knowing he’d be exactly the same if another member was in hospital. 

The drive home was short and the walk into the dorm was even shorter, Felix being greeted by four members (pretending he didn’t notice the absence of a fifth) as he was hugged and led to his bed, being covered by about five different blankets before being told to sleep and not worry about anything whilst they took care of dinner. 

For a second, it was almost peaceful, and Felix was able to forget about the mess that was his feelings as he drifted off for his nap. 

It was only a couple of hours before he woke up, the dorm a lot quieter than it had been before. His head was very thankful for that fact as he carefully sat up and rubbed at his face, skull still aching in a way that was just a little too difficult to ignore.

He was slow to stand up and even slower to pull on an oversized jumper, slipping his feet into a fluffy pair of spotty socks as he ventured out the room to the rest of the dorm.

He was shocked to find most rooms empty and most lights off, surprised by the suspicious lack of members in the bedrooms as he made his way towards the kitchen and living room, hoping to find someone there he could talk to, someone in particular if the confession that had occurred by his hospital bed was anything to go by.

The closer Felix got to the kitchen, the more he was able to pick up on sounds of melodic humming as he slowly walked down the corridor. Felix’s heart jumped as he realised who it was, unable to resist his smile as he listened to Jisung singing softly to himself. 

Felix slowly inched into the kitchen doorway, almost melting at the sight of Jisung with his forearms buried in soapy water as he calmly swayed whilst washing up, dirty pots and pans surrounding him as he worked. 

“Sungie?” Felix asked softly as he stepped into the room, Jisung screeching and jumping about a foot in the air, flinging water all over the kitchen as he whipped around. 

“Oh my god, Yongbok!” he yelled, holding a hand to his chest and soaking his t-shirt as Felix doubled over laughing, hands clinging to the doorway as he struggled to remain on his feet, his glorious loud laughs filling the room, “Don’t scare me like that!”

“S-Sorry,” Felix was able to stutter out, rubbing his head as he straightened up, Jisung looking at him like he really did want to be angry but couldn’t as he gazed at Felix’s smile, “I didn’t know how else to get your attention.”

“Well, you didn’t have to do that,” Jisung said pointedly as he turned back round to the sink, “The kitchen is soaking wet now, Woojin-hyung’s going to kill me when he sees this.”

“To be honest, Sungie,” Felix said as he took a couple more steps into the room and made a show of eyeing the messy counters, not failing to notice how eagerly Jisung had looked away from him, “I really don’t think it’s made that much difference to this mess, what the hell happened in here?”

“Oh… well…” Jisung stuttered and ducked his head to hide his blush, back still to Felix, “We all tried to make a big dinner together so we could surprise you and eat once you’d woken up, but you know there’s some of us that really shouldn’t be around stoves and even more of us who don’t know a whole lot about cooking, so it didn’t exactly go well.”

“Oh my god, you guys,” Felix grinned widely as he spoke, “I’m thankful, I really am, but I’d rather you didn’t burn the dorm down for me.”

“Believe me when I say we came close,” Jisung shivered slightly to himself at the memories, arms shaking in the bubbly water, “So it was safe to say we couldn’t eat the food we cooked. We tried to order takeaway but we couldn’t decide on one place, so we ended ordering from about three different restaurants and the others separated to go and collect all of it.”

“Ah so that’s where they are,” Felix said as he leaned against the counter a few feet behind Jisung, heart beginning to race as he realised it was just Jisung and him in the dorm, “So you stayed behind?”

“Y-yeah,” Jisung stuttered, Felix watching as he swallowed heavily, “We didn’t want to leave you on your own considering you’re injured and all… and well we needed someone to wash up which I didn’t mind doing so… so it made sense that it’d be me to stay behind.”

Jisung’s voice hitched a couple of times as he spoke, giving away that he was making excuses, probably not wanting to say what it was he had said next to Felix’s bedside only a day ago. Felix fiddled with his fingers as he wondered how to approach the situation, knowing that the longer he left whatever it was to fester between them, the worse it would get. 

“You can… you can sit down if you want,” Jisung said awkwardly, breaking Felix out of his thoughts as he made a point of only staring down at the sink, not wanting to catch the eyes of Felix behind him, “The others are going to back soon and your head probably hurts and I don’t want you to be in pain, so you should… you should sit down.”

Felix didn’t know what it was, but the words broke something within him, broke something that had been wanting to break for months. Jisung talking about not wanting Felix to be in pain sounded so similar to Jisung sitting next to Felix in a hospital bed and talking about how much it hurt to see Felix unconscious. Felix couldn’t bear to listen to it, didn’t want to hear anymore, so there was no way for him to stop himself as he strode forward and wrapped his hands around Jisung from behind, pulling the boy into a gentle back-hug.

Jisung jumped in his arms, but Felix ignored it as he slowly manoeuvred his head into Jisung’ shoulder, taking a deep breath before he spoke.

“What if I don’t want to take painkillers?” he whispered softly into Jisung’s ear, “What if the one to take the pain away is you?”

Jisung completely tensed at that, Felix feeling the boy’s heartrate shooting up under his fingertips as he froze.

“Felix…” Jisung started to say, but Felix shushed him, gently squeezing his tummy to signal he wanted to be the one to talk.

“Sungie, I don’t know how to say this without giving you a heart attack,” Felix made sure to keep his voice tender and warm, “But I heard… I heard what you said in the hospital.”

The body in Felix’s arms went completely rigid, panic humming through the veins of the boy Felix was clinging to as Felix tried to rub his thumbs along his skin, wanting to keep him as calm as possible as he continued to speak. 

“You don’t need to say anything, Sungie,” Felix said, feeling Jisung’s breath hitch in the embrace, tilting his head to try and look at Jisung’s face to see if it was okay for him to carry on, “You don’t need to apologise, you don’t need to freak out, you don’t need to do anything like that, because… because those words that you said to me, those words were exactly what I wanted to hear.”

Jisung whipped his head round at that, both boys locking eyes over Jisung’s shoulder. Jisung’s face swirled with shock and uncertainty, Felix’s swirling with nothing but pure, unfiltered love that made Jisung’s heart flame with hope.

“Are you…” Jisung could barely get the words out, skin tingling with electricity that made him shake, “Are you trying to say what I think you’re saying?”

“I’m trying to say that I like you, you idiot,” Felix responded without missing a beat, face pulled up in an endeared smile, “And I want to be more than your friend, too.”

For a second, there was nothing but utter silence. Nothing but utter silence as Jisung processed the words, the entire world freezing around them as Felix felt his heart pounding as he waited for a response. 

It stretched on unbearably, Felix’s patience burning with fire as Jisung barely reacted, the emotions flitting chaotically over his face before he somehow seemed to reach some sort of conclusion. He lifted up a shaky hand and carefully lowered it into the sink in front of him, Felix having a second to wonder what he was doing before Jisung suddenly flung an entire handful of water into his face, causing Felix to instantly splutter and stumble back. 

“What the hell?” Felix screeched as he brought his hands to his face, haphazardly rubbing the soap all over his cheeks, “What was that for?!”

“That’s for just launching all that on me!” Jisung yelled back, his face buzzing with mischief as he plunged both hands back into the sink and sent another tidal wave Felix’s way, soaking the boy’s sweatshirt, “I can’t you believe you just announced that like it was nothing! I was about to have a heart attack!”

Felix tried to shake the water off his jumper as he flicked up wet bangs to glare playfully at Jisung, making his own way to the sink and throwing a handful of bubbles at Jisung as the boy screeched and dived away, “Well at least I didn’t confess by a hospital bed! I mean come on Jisung, cliché much?”

“Oh shut up, Yongbok!” Jisung yelled back, grinning as he flicked enough water to fill an ocean Felix’s way, “You’re the one always cooing at me when I sleep on you! Don’t think I don’t know about you calling me sleeping beauty!”

The most dramatic gasp ever heard left Felix’s mouth as he narrowed his eyes at Jisung, the boy suddenly realising his mistake as Felix plunged his whole arm into the sink and Jisung practically drowned in the tsunami that washed over him, “Don’t pretend you don’t like it!”

“Oh my god, you meanie!” Jisung yelled back, another round of bubbles flinging across the kitchen as all conversation was lost, chaos erupting in the kitchen as the boys completely emptied the sink of all soap and bubbles, soaking each other to the brim as they launched handfuls and handfuls of washing-up water at each other. 

It probably took a little bit too much time for the boys to realise things had gotten a little out of hand, but before they knew it the floor was glistening with water and soap. It was almost as slippery as it had been that day on the stage, the bubbles sending them sliding around like they were ice-skating. 

The situation began to feel terrifyingly familiar as Jisung’s socks suddenly went out from under him with a terrified screech and Felix was reaching out to catch him as he fell, an exact replica of what had happened only a few days prior as Felix swung them both round and they plummeted to the floor.

Felix landed on his back, feeling all the air rush out of his lungs as Jisung landed directly on top of him, their chests squishing together and noses almost touching as they dragged in harsh breaths, worlds zeroing in nothing but each other.

“I told you I’d catch you,” Felix was the one to speak first, eyes locking directly onto Jisung’s as both his hands came up to wrap around Jsiung’s back and pull him close, “And I meant it.”

“Well then,” Jisung smiled as he moved his face down towards Felix’s, refusing to break eye contact for a split second as their breaths landed hot on each other’s faces, “How will I ever repay you?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Felix moved his face upwards, mere inches separating them, Felix able to see every little bubble as it foamed lightly on Jisung’s face, “It’s been approximately a day since you confessed at my bedside and approximately thirty seconds since you landed on me, and yet you still haven’t kissed me.”

“I guess I’ll have to fix tha-“ 

Jisung hadn’t even finished speaking before Felix’s lips were on his own, a surprised squeak erupting in his throat as his breath caught and eyes widened. Felix giggled lightly against his lips as he moved up one of his hands to tangle in the back of Jisung’s hair, Jisung closing his eyes and kissing back as warmth spread through his face. 

Felix tasted like soap and washing-up liquid and every beautiful thing Jisung could imagine, and he couldn’t help but smile into the kiss as Felix laughed against him, the vibration of his mouth feeling heavenly and tender as Jisung cupped his face, rubbing his thumb over the bubbly water on Felix’s cheek. 

They moved perfectly against one another, Jisung leaning down further so that Felix could lie comfortably on his back on the floor, both his hands now in Jisung’s hair, mouth soft against Jisung’s. The water was soaking through the back of his sweatshirt, Jisung’s wet hair getting tangled in his fingers and dripping down onto his own head, but Felix wouldn’t have changed a thing, wouldn’t have changed a single second in this beautiful moment.

They were both covered in washing-up liquid, both soaking wet with their clothes sticking to each other and sliding against the floor underneath them, and yet it was still so perfect.

Jisung just fit so perfectly in Felix’s arms, just melted so perfectly against him like he didn’t belong anywhere else in the world, lips feeling so nice against Felix’s that Felix never wanted to let go, never wanted this moment to end. 

It didn’t matter that his head was hurting, it didn’t matter that the kitchen was now most definitely messier than it had been before, it didn’t matter the pair had taken too long finding each other. All that mattered now was that Jisung was resting against Felix again and all was right with the world. The familiar warmth tingled perfectly between them, bringing nothing but love to them as they kissed on the kitchen floor.

Jisung was the first to pull away, gazing down at Felix like he never wanted to look away as he continued to rub a wet thumb over Felix’s cheek, a thousand emotions dancing gorgeously in the air between them. 

Nothing but the sound of their heavy breaths filled the room as they continued to stare, too wrapped up in each other’s eyes to notice the figures sliding into the doorway.

“What in the…” both boys suddenly looked up to see Changbin standing in the doorway, numerous bags in his hands with Seungmin and Jeongin giggling behind him, all three of them staring at Jisung and Felix like they weren’t quite sure what to make of the situation.

Felix wanted to answer, wanted to explain why a soaking wet Jisung was lying on top of an equally soaking wet Felix in a soap-covered kitchen, but the ridiculousness of the situation finally dawned on him and Felix couldn’t help but burst out laughing. 

His cackles filled every corner of the room, tears springing to his eyes and stomach hurting at the strength at which he laughed, the beautiful sound prompting Jisung to burst out laughing too as the pair giggled uncontrollably to each other in a pile of bubbles, unable to stop themselves sliding around the floor as the water trickled underneath them.

It was stupid, completely and utterly stupid how they must have looked, but neither Jisung nor Felix cared as they struggled to breathe through their laughs, arms clinging to one another and teary eyes gazing at each other’s wide smiles. 

“Woojin-hyung!” they heard Jeongin shout, the maknae’s whiny voice drawing heavy footsteps towards the kitchen, “Jisung-hyung and Felix-hyung are being weird again and they’ve made the kitchen even messier!”

Jisung and Felix tried to control their laughs as the group’s eldest slid into the doorway, raising an eyebrow at the completely-innocent pouts the two boys were giving him from the floor before Jisung choked on another loud laugh and they were both set off again, pulling each other close as they giggled.

Woojin looked like he wanted to be mad at what they had gotten themselves into, but instead he merely shook his head and huffed a quiet “Finally!” to himself before walking away, mumbling something about little brats messing up his kitchen with their making out as he disappeared out of sight.

Jisung almost collapsed at the situation, entire body exhausted as he tried to breathe through the laughs. He gave one last long glance down at Felix, taking in the boy’s messy hair and bright face that made his heart melt before he completely flopped down on top of Felix.

Felix pretended to be annoyed at the sudden weight pressing against him, putting on a fake splutter that had Jisung laughing again. But he couldn’t help but notice how Jisung’s hair was tickling once again against his neck, how his head had landed perfectly on Felix’s shoulder, exactly where it belonged.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!
> 
> We all know how goofy Jilix are so I thought it made sense having their first kiss take place in the middle of a waterfight. I hope you enjoyed and I'd be super grateful if you left a comment, I love responding to them <33
> 
> Twitter: @hotelfelixxie 
> 
> Have a blessed day and remember to drink water (especially if you are in Europe of the middle of this giant heatwave) <33


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